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One of the ways in which big data is moving into the mainstream is through a growing culture of self-measurement. We see this through the smartphone apps that track the number of daily-diet calories added by lunch at Chipotle. New fitness watches notify us when we sit idle for too long, and track the amount of light vs. deep REM sleep we get each night. When a sudden, out of the ordinary, credit card purchase sparks a stolen-card call from the bank, we are reminded that day-by-day, quietly and invisibly, our individual level data is collected, stored, and even analyzed without our conscience awareness. A recent article in The Guardian makes interesting commentary about this phenomenon. It focuses mainly on healthcare, but I think it has larger implications for individual-level data outside of the sector.

In a nutshell, the author writes about an experience with error in her smartphone’s running app, which prompts her to question and seek to review the previous data collected about her through the application. Of course, like most apps, this one does not allow her to retrieve the data collected about her by the system. Instead, she and other users will experience the cumulative effect of data collected through new products and updated apps. After several examples that illustrate the potential value of allowing users to access to data collected through such applications, the author concludes that doing so could improve the health of everyone in addition to generating better products.

I think the article raises a valid question about big data that few people discuss. Don’t we miss opportunities for value creation by not allowing individuals to access the data collected about them? A very obvious example in healthcare would be the case of individuals living with type II diabetes – a disease whereby the body’s insulin no longer effectively brings glucose into its cells. Because of this condition, individuals living with type II diabetes depend dramatically on lifestyle and other daily choices for their health. Liberating individual-level data collected through diabetes apps might prove particularly beneficial, both for individuals and for the health system, if people are allowed to use the data to find their own creative ways of improving their health.

However interesting this question may be, I’d like to take it a step further. What potential dark clouds might arise in an otherwise sunny horizon for big data if people aren’t allowed to access data collected about them? One potential problem is that the players who have authority to access and analyze this data may use it to pursue objectives that create value only for themselves. In healthcare, this might manifest as a company using its big data insights to aggressively market to a particular demographic that predominantly suffers from a given disease. What is the downside in this scenario? For starters, many of the recipients of this aggressive marketing may resultantly seek and receive unnecessary treatment that may prove harmful to their health, while those in other markets who actually need the treatment may go without it due to unequal exposure. Another potential downside stemming from this scenario is that it potentially destroys value, especially if payers spend more money on treatments that do not generate value for patients.

In the end, it is good food for thought. Beyond reaping the fruits of product development, consumers might stand to benefit from having access to big data that they help to supply.